The days the world changes always start out perfectly normal, don't they?

Xisuma's day had started out that way.

He awoke with a yawn and dragged himself out of bed, glancing as he always did at the small, lopsided wooden carving on his desk. It never failed to make him smile at the memory.

"Suma!" called a boy's high, joyful voice. "Look, I did it!"

Xisuma turned to the small, bright-eyed elfling, proudly holding up a lopsided piece of wood; an antler. "That's great, Scott!"

"Thank you," Scott grinned happily. "Knew I could do it!"

"Have confidence and you can do anything," Xisuma told him, his words a familiar tune to Scott by now.

"I'm gonna do amazing things when I'm older," Scott agreed, wings spreading wide dramatically. "All of Rivendell will look up to me!"

Xisuma smiled warmly at his little brother. "I know you will."

That was before Xisuma and his twins' sixteenth birthday... the day their happy, laughter-filled household shattered.

But that day wasn't today, and Xisuma didn't like to dwell on the past, preferring to live in the present and move on from the sorrows of yesterday.

Xisuma set the teakettle on the stove and sat down in his favorite chair, picking up a book from where it sat on the table next to him. Before he could begin reading, a demanding hoot came from the windowsill. Xisuma chuckled softly.

"Morning, Eowyn."

The owl fluttered over to land on the arm of the chair, tilting her head. "I don't have any messages for you to deliver today."

Eowyn chirped and turned her head away from Xisuma.

"Oh, I know you don't mind," Xisuma mock-scolded her. Eowyn turned her head back to Xisuma and settled down where she sat. Xisuma stroked her feathers and she cooed contentedly.

The teakettle squeaked and Eowyn flitted away. Xisuma stood up and took the kettle off the fire, poured his tea, then sat back down, picking the book back up as he sipped his tea.

"The Fellowship Of The Ring. You prefer Two Towers, I'm sure," Xisuma commented knowingly. Eowyn hooted in agreement.

For a while, Xisuma sat contentedly in his small, cozy cottage, sipping his tea as he read. Eventually, his tea was done, and he had to get up and put the cup away. He headed towards the door and picked up his cloak from where it hung by the door, running his hand along the soft feather-down lining as he pulled it on.

Eowyn hopped onto his shoulder and he pushed the door open, stepping out into the refined world of the elves.

Despite what he may think about their traditions and customs, Xisuma had to admit that elves had great taste when it came to decorating. Intricate woven arches, skillfully-made stained-glass lanterns, and smooth, cleverly-placed paths decorated Rivendell, the legacy of eons of inhabitance by the immortal elven people.

Xisuma took a deep breath of the crisp morning air, a welcome staple of the mountains and one of his favorite things about his home. He strolled casually along a footpath, taking in the sweeping views that never seemed to get old to him.

Blaring alarm bells jolted him out of his thoughts and routines. Elves rushed past him, cries filled the air. It wasn't hard to spot the source of their panic.

Massive, groping red tendrils were breaking through the earth. Xisuma's eyes widened. He'd seen this before.

Could he not wait until Xisuma was fully awake? It was too early for this, this was just rude, Xisuma thought irritably. Despite this, he of course went towards the evil, terrifying tentacles, because that was a great idea. It was his responsibility, though; he'd tried to run from it once before and it hadn't ended well.

Overhead, Xisuma heard the familiar swoosh of feathered wings slicing through the air and looked up to see Scott gliding towards the ever-growing corruption. Xisuma dashed down the paths and through the streets, hearing the cries of elves get fainter and less frequent and the grinding rumble of the earth parting grow louder.

He sprinted out onto a bridge in time to hear Scott scream as one of the tendrils pierced his body, right where his wings met his back. Xisuma gasped. His body grew hot with rage.

"XORNOTH!" Xisuma yelled angrily. No one messed with his brother. "XORNOTH!"

"Yes, brother?" came Xornoth's grating, smug voice.

"Let him go, now!" Xisuma demanded.

"And why would I do that?" Xornoth asked. Xisuma could hear Scott's whimpers of pain, horrible sounds that meant Xisuma was failing him yet again, failing in his job as a brother.

"Because he's not your enemy," Xisuma told him, swinging over the edge of the rail so that he was on the outside of the bridge. "I am."

"You? I should have known," Xornoth growled. A smile spread across his face. "Actually, I don't think I will. He's far too useful."

Xisuma froze. He could feel the blood rush to his head and knew that his face had turned deathly white. "Ezra, your quarrel is with me."

Xornoth laughed. "I don't go by that name anymore, Xisuma."

"Please, leave Scott out of this," Xisuma said calmly, his voice masking his internal terror. He couldn't let his little brother suffer because of him again.

"No, I don't think I will," Xornoth cackled. The tendril digging into Scott's back twisted, spinning the elven king along with it. He screamed and Xisuma's blood ran ice-cold.

In just a few eventful minutes, Rivendell was leaderless and Scott was... gone.

Xornoth as EX pog
Seriously, how has no one noticed: EX/EXor?